Philips sues Nintendo over Wii remote

May 15, 2014

Wii

Dutch electronics firm Royal Philips NV has filed a suit against Nintendo in a U.S. court, claiming the Japanese company infringed two of its patents in the control system of its popular "Wii" video game consoles.

Philips is seeking damages and a ban on sales and import of the Wii into the U.S.

Philips spokesman Bjorn Teuwsen said Thursday the companies had been in negotiations over a possible licensing agreement since 2011, but could not come to any agreement.

The patents Philips cites in its suit describe a "virtual body control device" and a "user interface based on a pointing device"—both key aspects of the Wii.

Nintendo could not immediately be reached for comment.

Philips' suit was filed May 14 at the U.S. Federal District Court in Delaware.

Nintendo Co. sank to a loss for the fiscal year ended March as sales of its Wii U game machine continued to lag, but the Japanese manufacturer of Pokemon and Super Mario games promised Wednesday to return to profit this year.

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